TRAIKOS: Dylan Strome a late-bloomer in the NHL

The old ones don’t work anymore. He’s no longer considered a first-round bust. He’s been kicked out of a club that includes Alexandre Daigle, Nail Yakupov and Nikita Filatov. You cannot call him a botched pick or a draft-day mistake.

If the Arizona Coyotes made any kind of mistake on Strome, it wasn’t selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2015. It was trading him in 2018.

“Everyone has a different path to the NHL,” said Strome. “Mine obviously took longer. But hopefully I can be that high pick that people wanted me to be back there.”

With 30 points in his past 32 games, Strome is looking like he was worth the four-year wait. Of course, the Coyotes aren’t enjoying any of it. The team that selected Strome ahead of Mitch Marner and Noah Hanifin — not to mention Mikko Rantanen, Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser — traded him to Chicago in November.

At the time, was just 21 years old and had played less than 50 games.

Patience can be a difficult thing, especially when it concerns high-draft picks. The other day, when talking about the development of Jake Gardiner, former Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle said you truly don’t know what you have in a defenceman until he plays 200 games. The same should apply for forwards, whether it’s Calgary’s Sam Bennett (fourth overall, 2014), Vancouver’s Jake Virtanen (sixth overall, 2014) or Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi (fourth overall, 2016).

But often, the wait time is even less than half that.

Strome had three goals and six points in 20 games this season when he and Brendan Perlini (12th overall in 2014) were shipped to Chicago in a two-for-one trade for Nick Schmaltz (20th overall in 2014). That Arizona had to toss in Perlini to make the trade happen told you what the hockey world thought of Strome.

“He’s never going to have Connor McDavid’s feet,” said Sherry Bassin, the former junior hockey executive who drafted Strome to the Erie Otters in 2013 and remains a close friend. “But here’s the deal: there’s no substitute for hockey sense, vision and hard work. John Tavares was the same way. If he works as hard as Tavares has on his feet, he’s got a chance to be a hell of a player.”

A one-time top prospect who led the Ontario Hockey League with 129 points in his draft year, Strome was selected right after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel in 2015. Unlike those two, who made the jump to the NHL look seamless, Strome returned to junior 2015-16 where he was told to get bigger and faster. Some said he needed to grow into his 6-foot-3 frame. Others weren’t so kind, calling him too slow for today’s game.

One year later, Strome was again sent back to junior. What made it worse was that the eight players selected right after him, not including Travis Konecny (24th overall), Anthony Beauvillier (28th), and Sebastian Aho (35th) were playing impact roles in the NHL.

“Don’t think he didn’t know where he was picked,” said Bassin. “As much as you’re trying to disregard, it’s tough to live with emotionally.”

The following year, Strome graduated from junior but was demoted to the minors as even more from his draft class arrived. He tried not to pay attention. He told himself that every player’s path is different. But it was a hard sell, especially when Barzal won the Calder Trophy as a “late-blooming” rookie.

“It’s tough to watch everyone and see how well they’re doing in the NHL and how many in the first round were playing already,” said Strome. “You try to block it out as much as you can. But you obviously see that stuff and it’s frustrating. The thing that (former Coyotes head coach) Dave Tippett said to me was you’re good enough to be in the NHL, but you’re not a good enough player to play every night yet. That stuck with me.”

In some ways, the trade to Chicago was the change of scenery Strome needed. But at the time, it was another hit to his ego. It’s one thing to have fans criticize you as a draft-day bust, but it’s another to have management essentially agree and cut bait.

And then Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman called Strome and it was as though he had been drafted all over again.

“He said he was so thrilled to have me,” Strome said of his initial conversation with Bowman. “He just wanted me to be myself and love hockey again.”

In Chicago, Strome is finally getting a chance to do what the Coyotes had hoped he would do for them. He’s playing on the top power play unit and averaging 17 minutes a game — four more minutes than he was in Arizona — alongside his former Otters linemate Alex DeBrincat. He has fallen back in love with the game.

“It’s confidence,” said Strome. “That’s probably the biggest thing. It’s not easy going to the rink every day and not knowing if you’re going to be in the line-up or not.

With four goals and 14 points during Chicago’s seven-game winning streak, Strome is a big reason why the Blackhawks, who were left for dead a month ago, are now two points ahead of the Coyotes and surging towards an unlikely playoff spot.

In the process, he’s sent a message to GM John Chayka and anyone else who counted him out too early.

“Things couldn’t have gone better,” he said.

OTHER LATE-BLOOMERS IN THE NHL

Dylan Strome is not the only late-bloomer who has gone from potential draft-day bust to productive forward. Here are three players who should serve as a reminder to any GM that not every player’s path is a straight line to success.

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis

88th overall, 2011

The 25-year-old, who was selected in the third round, was ranked third amongst North American goalies in 2011. But it took eight years and bouncing between six minor-league teams before Binnington earned his first NHL start. With a 9-1-1 record, he’s a big reason why the Blues are holding down a playoff spot.

Max Domi, Montreal

12th overall, 2013

As a rookie, Domi scored 18 goals and 52 points for the Coyotes. But his lack of production in the following two years (he didn’t score more than nine goals) had him packing his bags for Montreal, where he has emerged as a No. 1 centre. With 17 goals and 49 points in 56 games, it’s another trade GM John Chayka probably wishes he had back.

Jake Virtanen, Vancouver

6th overall, 2014

Selected ahead of Toronto’s William Nylander (eighth overall), Nikolaj Ehlers (ninth) and David Pastrnak (25th). It’s unlikely that Virtanen will surpass any of those players, but with 12 goals and 22 points in 56 games, he has already exceeded his career highs.

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